2027 Bindweed Fairy

The unmistakable illustrations of Cicely Mary Barker (1895–1973) have delighted both adults and children for over a hundred years. Since their first publication in 1923, Barker’s Flower Fairies have continued to captivate readers with their sense of childlike wonder, with influences taken from nature, botany, and Barker’s own imagination.

Growing up in a unique period of art history, Barker was influenced by several artistic and literary movements. Her work contains all the whimsy and charm of the Art Nouveau aesthetic, as well as the precision and fine detail of the Pre-Raphaelites.

Barker’s Flower Fairies came about at the height of the Victorian fascination with fairies, and her books enjoyed huge popularity. These fairies were seen as mischievous but harmless creatures who are caretakers of the natural world, while also being constantly at play. Her attention to detail and the perfect match of each fairy to each flower suggests a sort of poetic truth to their existence.

The original Flower Fairies publications also contained poems she wrote for every illustration. Along with her botanically accurate observations of the plants and their surroundings, Barker used the students from her sister’s kindergarten as models for the Flower Fairies, carefully matching each child with the plants they represented. The enchanting merge of realism and romanticism in Barker’s work can certainly dare one to ponder their own belief in fairies.

Cicely Mary Barker died in 1973 at 77 years old. She spent her life creating art and poetry and her work continues to be published to this day. The illustration reproduced here is entitled The White Bindweed Fairy, from Barker’s Fairies of the Wayside collection. We are honoured to reproduce the artwork of Barker with the permission of Frederick Warne & Co Ltd., and to continue to bring the charming beauty of the Flower Fairies to new audiences.